7 Reading Mistakes You Overlook

[@dqan7372]

Having a high tolerance for not understanding things has helped a lot in my life. I remember classmates freaking out because they didn't understand a concept they had just been taught. I was able to chill and head off to my next class, knowing I'd get a chance to go over the text again, figuring my brain would keep mulling it over while I was doing something else. There's a limit of course. Sometimes I just have to go back a couple chapters. Reading familiar concepts I understand helps me relax while I look for the connections to the new concepts I'm having trouble with. Keeps me in the groove too.

[@odysseas__]

That's a great way to put it -keeps it sustainable over time. Worry only makes it easy to walk away from.

[@claycon]

Yes. I stopped reading fiction years ago to focus on education & self improvement. But lately I’ve found the wisdom in reading a variety of genres. Going back to fiction has reawakened my love for reading. There are great lessons in great stories. And exercising the imagination is also conducive to learning. When you enjoy reading you’ll read more often. Good advice.

[@odysseas__]

Thanks, and it's true. Our imagination is worked less and less these days so it's important.

[@samcollins8330]

Hey man, I’ve been writing mini-essays for over four months now because of your video and I just wanted to say thank you! You gave me the tool I needed to finally start improving on my writing! Keep it up!

[@odysseas__]

That's brilliant, love to see you taking action. Thanks too.

[@affanjawad8901]

Well, as a reader I also have founded this mistakes in some way or another, but its so reassuring to see someone summarizing it for beginners.

[@odysseas__]

Nice, good stuff. I always like to remind myself too.

[@serenity2288]

I'm in full agreement especially on the quality vs quantity point - that's exactly why I deleted my goodreads account and never looked back. It became more important to log progress and chase the numbers than actually give thought and attention to what I was reading. I was picking quick and easy reads over anything more substantial just to get back on track with the goals. Then I took a hard look at what I was doing and realised it was the exact opposite of what I wanted out of reading. Its really easy to fall into the gamification of it all.

[@Chance11235]

Thanks for the relaxing and knowledgeable video Odysseas. I think personally one of the challenges I face in reading ever since I was a kid is I struggled pronouncing and spelling words due to not speaking for my first 6 years of my life, and another 6 relearning English. I'm almost in my mid 20s and I read and spell so much better than before, but I still struggle trying to pronounce words, especially on paper, I have to hear it so I can say it correctly. The way I improve this is to continue to read books I like and are comfortable of reading, to slowly and to absorb reading it instead of rushing it. After reading like 10-15 pages, I pick two or more words that 1.) I had trouble pronouncing, and/or 2.) I couldn't really explain what the word meant. Sometimes I even do names just so i can hear it and remember how to say it using syllables (I am bad with names lol). Reading is powerful and it's crucial for our daily lives. Even if your not in school, everyone should continue to improve their comprehensive reading so we can better understand our reality and our past.

[@seekingscripture5234]

Oh my goodness. Your second point hit hard. You are so right. I feel like I now have permission to slow down. Than you! Glad you posted this.

[@odysseas__]

Thanks, I'm glad to hear it

[@Kowleen]

Dear Odysseas, I am in love with how slow your videos are. You have taught me to slow down and to be more mindful. You might as well have changed my life for the better. I quote you sometimes on my notes as "Odysseas, the non deceiver". I hope this comment finds you well and makes your day ever so slightly better. Thank you so much. A stranger yet your friend, Kowleen

[@odysseas__]

I'm grateful to hear this, thanks Kowleen. Hope you can achieve everything you have in your sights.

[@paridhi4829]

It gives me soo much peace to know that I’m not alone who got affected by the culture of rationality and solution oriented mind. Some things are suppose to be felt and learnt and that is where fiction is very important

[@toteZitrone]

Thank you for this inspiration for reflection. I absolutely can relate to your feeling with fiction. It's also not my type of genre in general, unless I find something that really captivates me via it's setting, characters and language. But especially the last point is very rare in modern fiction. But on the other side, I also found myself not reading my non-fiction books that I was so highly interested in. I did "not" (or rarely) read for years although I like reading. By time, I discovered that one main reason why I wasn't reading, was the fear, that I might not remember what's in the book anyway. The feeling of just skimming through the pages, and forgetting it at once, especially when I didn't feel well. So what I started doing - and it cost me a great deal of courage the first time - was taking notes in my books. I grabbed a (mild) marker and just highlighted and annotated everything I found especially remarkable or that resonated with me. This was such a gamechanger! Now, when I read, I know most of the ideas will slip out of my mind soon, but I also know, that even without transferring those Notes to Obsidian (which I want to do but also for medical reasons don't yet manage to accomplish), those reading isn't lost. I can pick up my read books and simply leaf through them, quickly rediscovering the most important phrases and paragraphs, without having to re-read the whole book. It's such a pleasure and also takes away so much pressure while reading. Beside that, something that strikes me in your videos as a little concerning matter and that I am becoming more and more critical of (in myself) is this idea of having to "collect" knowledge and "develop" my knowledge. Although I can totally understand that urge, and also it seems good and natural to pursue a hobby with some sense of wanting to become better at it - and I DO NOT advice to stop that generally (!) - , it is way too easy to get lost in that aim for progression. In that aim to "optimise" your reading, your knowledge management, etc. So while I agree with and appreciate your video, I think that in the end, the biggest mistake we can make with something like reading, is the idea that we CAN make mistakes while reading. In many other aspects in life I find myself using up so much energy, worrying how to approach something most efficient and fearing of "missing out" on an intended effect, that I end up not doing things at all or becoming stressed over something that is supposed to be leisure. I get what you mean by the black hole your former reading supposedly went into, and often feel the same, but I honestly don't think that it actually did. It might not be in your memory as a clear remark (and that IS frustrating! :D) , but it surely had an influence. You might not remember a certain concept, but at least for a moment your brain interacted with the contents of the book and somehow integrated the information in it's network, and might have adjusted it's approach on other information and things here and there, even though you can not put the finger on it now. So I think the most important thing that happened when I started taking notes in books is not actually the ability to conserve the knowledge. I think it was to ease the fear of loosing the information I acquired, and actually start reading again. (: I'm still a huge fan of taking those notes and since then always carry a matching marker/pen with me with each book. I enjoy it. And I think this is the most important part. Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc recently said in an interview: "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." That really struck me, because it feels so true. Most people that e.g. are extraordinary painters are that, because they paint. They probably started as a child and just did it over and over again, because they enjoyed it. Same with athletes. I always admire their discipline, but what I always overlooked, is that the probably really liked e.g. running in the first place, and that's why theay do it. Of course at some point they might have trained, learned, accustomed themselves to certain techniques, but the basis was doing something for the sake of just doing it. I find myself often struggling to do so. So I hope you have much joy in reading and creating further videos. I'm looking forward to them.

[@bellav7093]

I have always enjoyed nonfiction and fiction since they provide the reader with different gifts. Great video! 💜

[@odysseas__]

Absolutely, and thanks too

[@David_10157]

Yep, I fell into the hustle culture bs years ago, but fell out two years back. I unsubscribed from all of them and since then, I've read some phenomenal fiction books I regret not reading sooner, specifically, "Lonesome Dove" and "A Gentleman in Moscow". By the way, you've been putting out some great content. Thanks.

[@piratejayesh8422]

Your videos really help me in my daily life Cuz I am early i will use this time to thank you for your high quality content

[@odysseas__]

Really appreciate it, thank you

[@inzainiac]

For fiction, I use the mindset of it being entertainment. If I want to be entertained, I have a plethora of choices: shows, live streams, games, fiction. It ultimately depends on the goal of the content, regardless of the medium that I'm using. My notes also tend to reflect the difference; notes on entertainment might just be a list or summary (or no notes at all), while notes on more involved topics will have more depth.

[@george1892]

I really like your advice about immersion in the story while reading fiction. I definitely will try it, thanks!

[@odysseas__]

Thanks, hope it serves you well

[@jdmregal]

Great video. You raise a lot of great points. I was off fiction for a while because I wanted to learn facts and absorb knowledge. But then I came to realize that fiction can do what nonfiction can't. For instance, Charles Dickens could write reports about various classes, but he made living, breathing characters that illustrate what statistics can't. And further to your point, I feel that we learn best and most from nonfiction that utilizes great storytelling methods. Thanks for the content!

[@lirgamingthings6035]

Always love it when you upload! You make amazing content and have helped me so much.

[@odysseas__]

Thanks, I really appreciate it

[@ThePersephoneDiggen]

13:00 I relate to you on this topic, the only books that I was so invested in are the Harry Potter books, I also liked Percy Jackson (and its sequel series), and The Poppy War, but not to the same extent as the Harry Potter book series.

[@franciscovazquezavila7627]

great video. there were fewer cuts and transitions and that gave more soul to the video (13:00)

[@TheCianhogan]

Loads of great stuff, really like the pacing changes you made as well.

[@nailalouis]

14:57 exactly my current situation with my urban planning book (the european city) and some other literature on architecture and urban planning

[@maherhasan4517]

In the Topics of reading and writing, I dare to say that you are the only channel providing High Quality Content. Great Video as always bro. Thank you for your efforts.

[@TeesaurusStern]

I think it is really great from you to motivate us to think critically when hearing about new concepts or tips, especially as a youtuber that does most of his videos on that topic. Thanks for that :)

[@devanshkhandelwal8988]

Thanks a lot for this video. I have always thought of going back to reading fiction but never did. Maybe a few mangas here and there but usually just books by catholic saints or other religious books. I'll go get my hands on some good fiction now. Love all your videos, keep going!!

[@odysseas__]

Great stuff, hope you find some bangers. Thanks too.

[@robertogamarra5701]

When is your course coming out? I’m in! 😊

[@dedanialakozlov2274]

Good work man

[@odysseas__]

Thank you

[@Stormbrise]

The worst mistake I have with reading a fiction book is War and Peace, and not writing down all the relationships with a huge cast of characters. I keep going back and forth trying to figure out who is who, or their motivations. Anyway, this is a book I have to take slowly, I do get in a flow state at times. However, I set a goal of a chapter a day, and well I lost the flow state and hated at chapter 62 now. I am not into the war aspect of the book. I once got in an argument with one of these guru’s on 2nd brain. Nat Elison. He refused to see any value in fiction. It kind of showed, he seemed to lack empathy for anyone who had any differing opinion than he had.

[@2.zef.758]

What an excellent video, thank you for sharing!

[@odysseas__]

Much appreciated

[@SLTYMILK]

I’ve been putting off some fiction but only because I have a list of high quality nonfiction (history, philosophy, political philosophy) that I have to get through first. Eventually, soon, I’ll make my way back to some fiction. So much reading, not enough time… EDIT: On taking notes in Obsidian, I’ve actually found that doing it directly makes it to easy for me to get distracted by other stuff on the computer. I seem to still learn and focus best by taking notes on paper, noting page numbers, then transfer those notes with quotes to Obsidian later

[@Orlando-qj7bh]

love the lighting in this video

[@odysseas__]

Thanks!

[@deyaanaser4274]

Another masterpiece 👏👏👏

[@odysseas__]

Cheers man, I appreciate it

[@RadioSpec93]

Enjoying your new content man. Keep up the great quality. If you haven’t already read it, I would highly recommend the count of Monte Cristo for great fiction reading. A chapter a day and it reads just like a great television series.

[@odysseas__]

Thanks, and I can't wait to get to it -I hear so many good things.

[@drnirmaladeabreu140]

My favorite book

[@Laura-sf4eh]

writing mini-essays is such a great idea! thank you for the insightful video! Might I ask which microphone you are using for your videos? The sounds is divine! Thank you in advance Laura

[@odysseas__]

Thanks, I really appreciate it. It's a Samson Q2U along with some audio presets on premiere pro.

[@NajebanyHajduk]

Really dig the lack of music and sound effects.

[@odysseas__]

Thank you

[@PeterIntrovert]

Lack of distractions in form of sounds and musics helps me immerse myseldlf in the richness of the content, what is being said. It helps promote culture of concentration and imagination. IMHO.

[@maxmustermann3892]

Love you bro

[@ethanbee3]

The fact that you showed City of God is great because I was trying to read it and I thought I was losing my mind at my inability to understand 😂😂

[@odysseas__]

You and me both..

[@yusufermanto412]

i know that i read fiction too much, but because of that, i enjoy reading non-fiction books sometime. I am a person who love to learn from visual, so reading fiction make me visualized thing more easier, like raw real time data or geo mapping😊

[@odysseas__]

Never saw it like that but it makes sense, nice one.

[@ridwanslife]

Can we have a deep dive into mini-essays please?

[@San-li9ml]

With the struggling of a hard book, what I tend to do now is continue reading even if I am confused. If I stop, I'll ruin my own flow of reading.

[@odysseas__]

Wise, I like it

[@idrisahmed2659]

i beleive a hard book or any book with actionable steps needs to be read and re read more than a couple of times ..... what im trying to do is in the first go just read the book cover to cover ...without trying to analyse or write about what i felt or do any active recall in the 2nd reading i read slowly and with much more depth and attention and then write mini essays on each chapter .... and then i read those mini essays and try to implement simple things step by step ..... but like u said if we put ourselevs under pressure to understand and internalize the book in the first reading then we end up procrastinating and the book ends up on the shelf for ages ..... its like when i watched this beautiful and story rich anime called attck on titan ... i enjoyed and appreciated the charachters and their actions much more on my 2nd and 3rd watch...

[@jmsl_910]

totally off topic: do you have any tips on reading Ulysses by james joyce? OR alternatively, do you think it's worth the time investment?

[@MuneyukiKasahara]

full support

[@odysseas__]

Cheers man

[@RocarAzeedos456]

awesome!!

[@odysseas__]

Thanks

[@cam-dasmartman]

I’m watching this later I can tell this video will be good

[@Doddom]

Bro got the $9999999 dollor room set-up

[@alonememe]

Did you rearrange your room? 😃 I don't agree that we have to accept movies, series and books with logical mistakes. In my opinion good research, made before writing a book, is what separates a good writer from a bad one. Even in fantasy books everything should be "possible like", unless it is explained very clearly that in that particular world something works differently, not according to physical law for example. And I really appreciate fiction authors and screenwriters that take care of every detail in a plot. P.S. Would you make a video about your favourite fiction? I'm curious what you like to read.

[@Salantor]

Are people spreading out in a slasher movie a logical mistake or genre convention? Are rom-coms stupid because we know how they gonna end up and the rest can be seen as padding? Do we really need to explain how magic works or declare that worldbuilding is stupid because swords and guns are used by armies that can just hire a wizard with a dozen memorized fireballs? It is very easy to conflate actual mistakes with just nitpicking while ignoring variables like genre, literary conventions, or reaching for emotional conclusions. This is why to this very day people ask: "Why can't Eagles just take Bilbo to Mordor?" or expect deep stories from games like Diablo.

[@alonememe]

@@Salantor I don't watch slashers or romcoms, so I don't even know.

[@LucasSteele-v4r]

Odysseas you are a wise man and thank you as always for your content. However, every time you rub out your whiteboard with your bare hand my dichotomy of control is being challenged and I don't think Marcus would be happy with me. 😅 Might I send you an eraser?

[@odysseas__]

Haha thank you, and it was a heat of the moment mistake. It did feel wrong.

[@Kr1stmas]

What would be an example of a genre of book that is okay to slice up in your opinion? I've been reading the discworld novels at work on breaks and your point on not slicing up fiction has made me a bit worried now

[@odysseas__]

I should have been clearer in the video, but it's not the end of the world if you do have to take frequent breaks -that's normal and expected. It's just that maybe the opposite is preferable so you could lean into it more. Generally, I find lighter non-fiction is easiest to jump in and out of.

[@harisabbasi2822]

Sir how we can get knowledge rather than information and as well as how to critically read?

[@rohanbidi]

Imagine someone disses on Lord of The Rings because "its fiction". Such people should've stayed illiterate :)

[@odysseas__]

They'll learn one day

[@lizardbyte]

Fictionnonfiction

[@Moominaaaaaaaaa]

Firstttt

[@SLTYMILK]

14:48 me reading Aristotle’s On the Soul